Decision : 33 COM 7A.18
Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (site proposed by Jordan) (C 148 rev)

3. Recalling the relevant provisions on the protection of cultural heritage including, as appropriate, the four Geneva Conventions (1949), the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954, the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972, the inscription of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls at the request of Jordan on the World Heritage List (1981) and on the List of World Heritage in Danger (1982), and the recommendations, resolutions and decisions of UNESCO,

4. Affirming that nothing in the present decision, which aims at the safeguarding of the cultural heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, shall in any way affect the relevant United Nations resolutions and decisions, in particular the relevant Security Council resolutions on the legal status of Jerusalem,

5. Thanks international donors for their generous contributions to the UNESCO Action Plan Action for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem and calls upon the international donor community to further support, through extra-budgetary funding, activities aimed at the safeguarding of the cultural heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem, in particular in the context of the Action Plan;

6. Asks the World Heritage Centre to make technical expertise and assistance available for the future conservation works foreseen in the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, taking into consideration the activities foreseen in the context of the Action Plan, as needed;

7. Takes note of the concerns expressed about the archaeological excavations undertaken in the Old City Of Jerusalem, and asks the Israeli authorities to provide the World Heritage Centre with all relevant and detailed information about them;

8. Urges Israeli authorities to prevent any actions that could undermine the authenticity and integrity of the cultural heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls;

9. Requests the World Heritage Centre to report on the state of conservation of the property and on the progress in the implementation of the Action Plan for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem at its 34th session in 2010;

13. Regretting the postponement of the follow-up meeting of experts which was scheduled on 12 November 2008, as called for in Decision 32 COM 7A.18 due to circumstances that have impeded Jordanian experts from having access to the Mughrabi Ascent site,

14. Recognizing the existence of deep concerns regarding the decision by the Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Commission on the town planning scheme for the Mughrabi ascent,

15. Requests that, despite the decision mentioned in paragraph 14, the process for the design of the Mughrabi ascent be inclusive of all parties concerned, in accordance with the spirit and content of previous World Heritage Committee decisions;

16. Reaffirmsin this regard that no measures, unilateral or otherwise, should be taken which will affect the authenticity and integrity of the site, in accordance with the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972 and, as necessary, the relevant provisions of the UNESCO Conventions on the protection of cultural heritage;

17. Being aware that the process for the design of the Mughrabi ascent, which allows for the taking into consideration of the designs submitted during the aforementioned professional encounter, is still under way, requests the World Heritage Centre to follow closely, in the context of the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism, the developments associated with this process;

18. Thanks the World Heritage Centre for facilitating the holding of the professional encounter at the technical level of 13 January 2008, as well as the follow-up meeting of the 24 February 2008, between Israel, Jordanian and Waqf experts, as requested by Decision 31 COM 7A.18;

19. Reiterates its request that the Israeli authorities continue the cooperation commenced with all concerned parties, in particular with Jordanian and Waqf experts;

20. Reaffirms the necessity of cooperation in order to arrange for access to the Mughrabi Ascent site, and reiterates the call on the Director-General to organize a follow-up meeting of experts as soon as possible, once the parties concerned have reached an agreement;

21. Takes note of the recent exchange of correspondence between Israel (letter dated 31 May 2009) and Jordan (letter dated 12 June 2009) aiming at reaching an agreement that may allow the Director-General to organize a follow-up meeting as soon as possible;

22. Decides to continue applying the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism for the state of conservation of the Mughrabi ascent, and further requests a report from the World Heritage Centre at least every three months, until the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2010.

III

23. Decides to retain the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls on the List of World Heritage in Danger.